15

THE EGRESS

WE HAVE DEALT with the creation of the positive and negative spirits as taught by competent masters. The positive spirit is visible to men whereas the negative spirit (is invisible to them but) can see them. When the practiser reaches this stage, if he has not received authentic instruction he will only produce the negative spirit and will become a seer of the plane of ghosts and spirits. By the creation of positive spirit is meant the opening of the heavenly gate (miao men at the top of the head). If the latter is shut the negative spirit will manifest. The opening of the miao men ensures the realisation of the six supernatural powers, the permanence of radiant heart-nature and the bright light of vitality.

The previous fourteenth step (Chapter 14) taught the stages of ascension (of the immortal foetus) and dealt with the method of nurturing it with generative force, vitality and spirit. It consists of developing the voidness which is even more void and the emptiness which is even more empty so that (essential) nature is like empty space and free from attachment thereto; hence it is called absolute voidness. If there is clinging to the concept of empty space it will hinder the realisation of absolute voidness. This absolute voidness will then be natural without (even) the idea of existence. This is the right method of uniting inmost (essential) nature with inmost (eternal) life, and has nothing to do with the closing of one’s eyes to sit motionless in meditation.

Figure 11 The egress

The serenity of the foetus depends solely on the practiser’s unflinching faith; and during the ten months of its formation his mind should be set uniquely on it. (At this stage) neither the mouth nor the heart (i.e. neither words nor thoughts) are directed to the foetus whose serenity results from stopping the thinking process, and regulating the breath which brings about its full development and maturity.

When the practiser sees flying snow and falling flowers, he should, in order to leave the immortal foetus, hasten to give rise to the thought of leaping into the great emptiness, which will open the heavenly gate (miao men) of the sun and the moon (i.e. the two eyes) which he, now free from feelings and passions, and in accord with (essential) nature, should roll so that the two lights meet. This is the method of coming out of the foetus which the ancients did not lightly disclose for it should not be revealed to those who have not received instruction from competent masters.

Question Will you please explain in detail the method of realising this egress?

Answer This method was only verbally transmitted from masters to disciples and was not lightly revealed in books, but I was ordered to make it available to all serious practisers of alchemy. So I deal with it here.

In reality there was a method of coming out of the immortal foetus to appear in (countless) transformation bodies, but it is not easy to obtain it now. Formerly there was an adept called Lan Yang Su who had fully developed his immortal foetus and had seen flowers falling in disorder from the sky, but since he had not received instruction from competent masters, he failed to achieve the egress; so he was as ignorant as any worldly man in spite of (the possibility of attaining) eternal life lasting as long as heaven and earth. Later the patriarch Liu Hai Shan sent him the following poem:

Though realisation comes from manifesting the divine

Never let its (great) attractiveness handicap your body.

Just follow the immortal Wu’s method of liberation

And when the foetus is mature you’ll leap over the mundane.

After receiving the poem Lan Yang Su clapped his hands joyfully and immediately emerged from the foetus. This was the patriarch Wu’s teaching.

The patriarch Liu Hua Yang said: ‘When snow and flowers are seen falling and the time has come to leave the human body, give rise to the thought of leaving and direct it towards the great emptiness. He who has not met a competent master does not know this teaching.’

My masters Liao Jen and Liao K’ung said: ‘Gather the five vitalities and return them to the source (the upper tan t’ien in the brain) where the union of (positive and negative) vitalities will produce the immortal foetus.’

My elder brother Kuei I Tsu said: ‘When the three essences (i.e. the generative force, vitality and spirit) gather in the brain, the moonlight shines brighter; when the five (vital) breaths soar up to the head, the golden light will appear; and when the two (positive and negative) vitalities unite and return to the essential body, the spiritual self will appear in its centre.’

All the above teachings deal with egress from the foetus; although they differ in wording the underlying doctrine is the same. When the foetus is fully developed, snow and flowers are seen falling in disorder; this is visible to the (practiser’s) eyes. When the five (vital) breaths in the heart, liver, stomach, lungs and kidneys gather in the head, spirit will break through the original cavity of spirit (between and behind the eyes) to ascend to the heavenly gate (miao men) from which it will leap into the great emptiness. The teaching formulates the gathering of five (vital) breaths, the crowding together of four cardinal points (A.G.D.J.) into the centre (chung kung or the solar plexus), the intermingling of three (components, i.e. the generative force, vitality and spirit) and the union of two (positive and negative) spirits into one whole.

According to the underlying doctrine, when the body is unstirred, the generative force is stabilised and the element of water moves to the head; when the heart is not stirred, the breath consolidates and the element of fire moves to the head; when (essential) nature is serene the incorporeal soul will be hidden and the element of wood moves to the head; when passions cease, the corporeal soul is subdued and the element of metal moves to the head; when these four elements (water, fire, wood and metal) are in harmony, the intellect is stable and the element of earth moves to the head. Thus all five (vital) breaths converge in the head as follows:

Figure 12 The five elements

When the five (vital) breaths converge in the head, the golden light appears and unites with the light of vitality which has manifested after the intermingling of the three essential compounds (i.e. the generative force, vitality and spirit). This is the union of the true positive and negative principles from which the immortal foetus emerges to take shape.

No foetus can be produced in a sterile male body, for to do so there must be a creative cause that drives (vital) breath into the cavity of vitality (the lower tan t’ien centre under the navel) to form a (spiritual) foetus there. After its formation, the practiser should gather the five (vital) breaths and drive them up to the head in order to force open the original cavity of spirit (tsu ch’iao between and behind the eyes). When the heavenly gate (miao men at the top of the head) opens, the two lights which have gathered in the original cavity of spirit will emerge to develop into a mass of golden light the size of a large wheel within which positive spirit (i.e. the immortal man) sits upright while the red light of his negative breath changes into a demon who will use all tricks to tempt him. If the heart (mind) allows itself to be attracted by what it sees and hears, the positive spirit will vanish giving way to the demon who will cause the practiser to transmigrate through the six realms of existence; thus all progress so far achieved will be thrown away. All this comes from wrong practice and lack of determination to put an end to mortality.

Question Will you please teach me how to remove this demonic hindrance in order to acquire a true undying body; is this body everlasting on earth?

Answer It is indispensable to hold on to the golden light unflinchingly. When encountering the demon you should practise the seventh step (Chapter 7) to unite the generative force, vitality and spirit in order to transform this demon into positive breath which will sustain the positive spirit and wipe out all demonic states.

To deal with the golden light that shrinks, the practiser should suck it in while rolling his eyes to drive it into the sea of (essential) nature (in the heart)¹ which will unite with it. After a serenity lasting for seven days, this light will shine and the negative principle will change into true spirit which will manifest in front of the practiser, with its features identical with his; this is the undying self.

When spirit manifests for the first time it should only be allowed to leave the physical body in fine weather and it should be well looked after, like a baby just born. Its egress should on no account take place when there is thick fog, heavy rain, gale, lightning and thunder.

When for the first time positive spirit comes out it should (be made to) return to the body at once. During the first three months it should be pulled out once a week. After this it will gradually develop perception and knowledge and is very sensitive to fear and awe which should be avoided at all costs.

Its egress and return to the body should be orderly and at regular intervals. Each coming out should be immediately followed by re-entry until the practiser is familiar with the exercise. It should take place in the day but never at night.

After six months positive spirit can be let out once every three days; and after a year once a day. During these exercises it should always be kept close to the body and not allowed to stray. In the case of fright and awe it should be quickly returned to the body. These instructions should be carried out carefully.

After two years of exercise the egress can take place either in the day or at night and the number of times can be increased gradually. The positive spirit can now leave the body to wander inside or outside the grotto (place of meditation) and then return to the body to suck.²

After three years of exercise the practiser can send the positive spirit to distant places. If it meets men and animals it should return swiftly to the body. From now on it can cover a distance of half a mile or a mile and return quickly.

To sum up the positive principle should at the beginning of the exercise return to the body as soon as it is out of it until it is familiar with the practice. In short it should stay in the body much longer than outside it. After the practice has been successful for three years, the positive principle becomes an (earth-bound) immortal (shen hsien). Now is the time for a course of training which will enable this immortal to dwell in the state of serenity for nine years in order to return to the great emptiness thereby transforming his physical body into that of a golden immortal (chin hsien).

My master Liao K’ung said: ‘When spirit soars up to the top of the head after breaking through its original cavity (between and behind the eyes), do not give rise to fear and awe; be bold and concentrate on the sole thought of getting out through the heavenly gate (in the top of the skull). Then close your eyes, turn them down and lift them gently as if to jump up; you will feel as if coming out of a dream and will see another body beside your own.’ When positive spirit leaves the body it will stop about three to four feet away. If you see and hear something, do not let your heart (the seat of nature) be drawn to it, and pay no attention to visions of parents, relatives, friends, wife and children, or to other states; do not recognise them and avoid being influenced by them; do not cling to anything but stay unperturbed, cutting off all feelings and passions, with only the single thought of dwelling in the state of serenity while refusing to see and hear anything.

Shortly after dwelling in this serenity a golden light will emerge from the body like a large wheel, manifesting in front of the practiser who should drive the light of his spiritual nature in front of it, and imagine that the golden light shrinks into a small circle about one inch in diameter, like a gold coin. He should then roll his eyes to collect and suck (the golden light) into his spiritual nature which will enter the original cavity of spirit (tsu ch’iao, between and behind the eyes). After this he should practise the ‘obliterating’ meditation³ in order to return to the state of stable serenity.

An ancient said: ‘The golden light is a wonderful drug which changes form into nothingness; on no account should it be missed.’ For if it scatters at this stage it will never return. Although some people like to preserve form, the latter cannot evaporate (in the absence of the golden light).

The master Liao Jen said: ‘When the positive spirit leaves the body for the first time, the student should, after achieving complete serenity, practise the method of directing the five vitalities (to the head) and of giving rise to the single thought of stepping into the great emptiness in order to transform spirit into a golden light the size of a great wheel which should then unite with the light of his spiritual nature into one single light in the centre of which (the form of his) positive spirit sits upright.’ At the same time the negative breath in that light will turn into a demon who will use all attractive states to entice the positive spirit. If the practiser allows himself to be tempted by what he sees and hears, the positive spirit will vanish and not return, thereby causing him to enter demonic states and transmigrate through the six mortal realms of existence. People wrongly regard this as leaving the world while sitting in meditation and as achieving the mediocre fruit (attainment). If the practiser so fails all his previous progress will be thrown away. Is it not a pity? This failure is caused by wrong training and want of determination to put an end to mortality.

The remedying method consists of holding on to the golden light while dwelling in serenity with unflinching determination to banish the demon. Then all demonic states will vanish and the practiser should shrink the golden light, roll his eyes to suck it into his spiritual body, and return the latter to the original cavity of spirit (tsu ch’iao between and behind the eyes). After a long while the golden light will emerge again to transform the negative demon into positive spirit which will manifest in front of him. Only when the positive spirit appears with features identical to his can it be prevented from fleeing away.

The master Liu Ming Jui said: ‘When the immortal foetus first comes out of the original cavity of spirit (tsu ch’iao) the practiser should guard against outside demonic disturbances, and should never speak to those apparitions that greet him but should hold on to the right thought (concentration). Spirit should return to the body as soon as it is out of it and should not go to distant places. The golden light the size of a large wheel that manifests two to three feet from his body belongs to him and should be sucked back into the body; it is a wonderful drug that will sublimate his body and return it to nothingness.

‘When it emerges for the first time, it should not cling to anything outside; the practiser should drive his spiritual body in front of the golden light to absorb it, and draw the former into his physical body which will imbibe the light which will transform it into vapour. If he fails to get hold of the golden light his body will not evaporate.’

The master Liu Ch’uan Yang said: ‘When positive spirit comes out of the original cavity of spirit and fails to return to the body, this is due to wrong training. Therefore, when the positive spirit goes out, it is most important to hold on to the golden light unflinchingly; then all demons will disappear. The positive spirit should not be allowed to go out carelessly but should be reabsorbed as soon as it has left, for once outside it may detest the filthy body and refuse to return to its unclean abode. It should be kept close to the body and returned to it until the practiser is familiar with the exercise.

‘When it re-enters the brain (or ni wan) the body will feel hot as fire, and the golden light will radiate through all pores. If the practiser gives way to fright or delights in this light he will slip into the way of the demon and will fail in his training.

‘To sum up the practiser should hold on to his dogged determination to achieve the aim of alchemy and be adamantine to all passions including pleasure, anger, sorrow and joy.’

The old master P’eng Mou Ch’ang said: ‘When the positive spirit comes out for the first time, it is still very weak. If the light of vitality is to congeal and stop scattering away, it should be well nurtured so that it will gain in strength and become boundless. When the gold light manifests it should merge in the light of vitality; this is the union of true negative and positive lights into a single one with the holy foetus in the centre. This (spiritual body which has come out of the) holy foetus should be sucked back at once, which means subjecting it to the exercise of going out and returning. At the start it is inclined to waver and should be turned back to be controlled during the exercise so that it becomes stable. Hence the saying: “It should be stilled again and again” so that it grows and develops naturally.’

The master Liu Hua Yang said: ‘I have read the stories of ancient immortals who were all liberated after undergoing the same training.’ Students of coming generations reading this book will know the secrets of alchemy. There is no need for them to climb high mountains and cross streams and rivers to seek instructions from masters. If they are provided with the means (money) and have (helping) companions with them and practise seriously they will leap over the worldly to the saintly realms.

My brother Chao K’uei I said: ‘Drive the positive spirit into the upper tan t’ien (in the brain or ni wan) which is under the heavenly gate (miao men at the top of the head) and look inward to produce divine fire there. With the fire of positive spirit in the head, the practiser should concentrate on it in silence so that the fire above will descend and the fire below will soar up; and that the five vitalities will converge in the head and break through the cavity of spirit (between and behind the eyes) to reach the source (of the nervous system, pai hui) from which the positive spirit will manifest. The brain will then be like a pond full of golden nectar with silvery ripples.

‘After the five vitalities have thrust up into the top of the head like thunder, and forced open the inner heavenly palace (tzu fu, another name for the tzu ch’iao in the centre of the brain) a boundless red light will suddenly emerge, thundering at the original cavity of spirit (tsu ch’iao) to expose the practiser’s self who is the positive spirit which should then be returned to the body. This exercise of egress once a week should continue for a period of three years at the end of which the positive spirit will have developed fully. At this stage the adept should practise its return to nothingness. I realised this after I had trained for over forty years.’

All the above methods were taught by my masters personally and although the wording differs the underlying principle is the same throughout. I took notes of what they told me so that future practisers can be clear about the training.

Question The above teachings on the egress from the foetus are clear but I am afraid that those who have not met competent masters will read your book with difficulty. Will you please explain the method in every day language so that those who have not met masters can understand it easily?

Answer The method consists of closing the eyes while sitting in meditation to drive the light of (essential) nature in front of the practiser who should ‘unite’ his eyes (by drawing the pupils together) so that a bright light like that of the moon appears in the centre (between the eyes). A long while later he will see snow and flowers falling in disorder in this moonlight, and should immediately give rise to the thought of leaping into the great emptiness.

This is the method of uniting the five vitalities in the heart, spleen, lungs, liver and kidneys into a single vitality which will then rise from the base of the spine and pass through the second gate (between the kidneys) and the back of the head to reach the brain (ni wan) and thrust through the original cavity of spirit (tsu ch’iao between and behind the eyes) to knock at the source of the nervous system (pai hui).

The practiser should look up quickly in order to force open the heavenly gate (at the top of the skull); this consists of opening the eyes to look up (and so give a) thrust to burst open the gate with the combined force of the heart, intellect and thought.

If the five vitalities are full a golden light will soar up to unite with the light of (essential) nature to become a single light which is the union of the radiant vitality of the positive principle (yang) in the head and the bright light of the negative principle (yin) in the abdomen into one single light which will result in the egress from the immortal foetus. The practiser should then lower his eyes slowly to look down before closing them with the combined force of his heart and intellect as if to make a jump. He will then feel as if waking from a dream to see another body beside his own.

This is the method of drawing the positive spirit out (of the foetus). If the practiser does not give rise to the thought of flying into space and fails to converge the five vitalities in the head) the spirit will not leave. Below is a diagram showing the five vitalities converging to the head before the egress of positive spirit.

The five vitalities unite into a single one which will rise from the base of the spine to the head to break through the original cavity of spirit before reaching the top of the head where the golden light of the true negative principle meets the moonlight of the true positive principle in order to beget the immortal foetus in the centre (where both lights meet). The practiser should now lower his eyes to look down so that his spiritual body will manifest with his physical body at its side. His spiritual body is similar in features to his physical body but traces of negative vitality in the former will cause demonic hindrance by all sorts of states to tempt the positive spirit. The practiser should now hold on to the right concentration and quickly roll his eye once from cardinal point A to D, G and J (see figure 5) while concentrating on the demonic light to suck it into his body in order to transmute it into positive light. As time passes this demonic light will be purified and transformed into the light of positive spirit which will sustain the foetus in its full development. After this the practiser should continue his still meditation in order to return the positive spirit to nothingness.

Figure 13 The five vitalities converging to the head.

¹The heart (the house of fire) is the seat of essential nature which manifests through the two eyes. When the heart is serene it reveals essential nature and when eternal life is mature the spiritual light appears.

²Suck is a Taoist term which means drawing nourishment from the body.

³Lit. ‘extinguishing’ meditation which will wipe away all traces of the worldly.